the SHAW Blog

According to spiritualityhealth.com, connection to outside sources is not the only form of connecting that we should concern ourselves with. This is because connection can also take place by connecting to internal factors, such as our creative side. It’s when you feel unfulfilled in that area of life, like your creative side, that it’s most important to try and connect inwardly.

Here are four fun ways to better connect to your inner creativity:

1.Make choices more fun. Whether you are making a to-do list or picking your next meal, turn it into a game. The game allows for unexpected twists and turns in your day, a must for keeping life creative.

2.Play with a child. Playtime doesn’t have to be a complicated either. In doing this, you’ll be able to let down some walls you have built up around yourself to really let creativity flow out from within.

3.Set a noodle time for 20 minutes. During that time you get to “noodle around”. In other words, let your creative side flow out without any judgment or concern of where the creativity is taking you. Just go with the flow.

4.Use your hands more. Research published in the journal, Cognitive Science, says that using our hands plays a huge role in our thinking and overall wellbeing. Play with your food or a lump of clay. Whatever it is, make sure you do it with your bare hands.

Lacking creativity in your life? Let our experts at SHAW Center for Healing help you reconnect inwardly as you journey to the best version of yourself.

I believe that we are all blessed with guides in our lives. Whether it is a higher version of ourselves or perhaps some other sort of spiritual entity, it is comforting for me to know that someone is watching over us and helping steer us through life in both the good times and the bad. According to spiritualityhealth.com, there are 5 essential methods to opening the channels between you and your guide(s):

1. Remove pre-existing beliefs: We must first remove the idea that we are unworthy or ill equipped to have these guides in our lives. Thankfully, we do not have to be spiritual giants to take guidance from these higher beings. We must also realize that we are deserving of their time. Feeling inferior of them will do us no good here.

2. Send out an invite to your guide: Specifically ask your guide to relay information in your dreams. During dream state, you are least distracted by the world and you can focus on the message at hand.

3. Be aware of your surroundings: In this, we have to open our eyes to the outside world and notice the “coincidences” occurring all around us. According to this article, these coincidences are actually are guides communicating with us.

4. Pay attention to the inspiring thoughts: When you are feeling down and out, your guide might reach out to you through all sorts of avenues. These ideas they may convey to you might show up as inspiring thoughts in the midst of your otherwise depressed and negative headspace. Grab onto these ideas when they come. They are gifts.

5. Raise your consciousness and frequency: Aiming for a higher plane of thought will result in receiving more clarity in your conversations with these guides. Tune in and connect when you find yourself in these higher places. Your guide is waiting for you.

Whether you believe in following a spiritual guide or simply a higher/better version of yourself, be sure to stay open-minded and receptive to the messages offered to you.

Kindness. An act that seems to be lost more and more as we progress into the future. We can easily find that seeking satisfaction out of life for ourselves outweighs being kind to others. Even though it’s human nature to care for one another, we somehow have lost touch with it. When I'm only concerned with what's going on with me in my life, then it's harder for me to show care, concern, and kindness toward others.

My personal experience also tells me that if I can’t be kind to myself, then I will have a hard time being kind to others. I have to learn healthy coping skills to deal with those self-defeating thoughts before they turn outwards. When they turn outwards they show up in the form of judgment. I judge for fear of being judged and no kindness can live in such a place. So for me, I find that working towards being kind to myself is a crucial part to bringing it back into my life with those around me.

Here are some steps that I take on a daily basis to work towards being kind to myself and others:

I say positive affirmations to myself (e.g., I AM worthy).

I express my appreciation towards those in my life who are special to me.

I ask my Higher Power to remove judgment and allow me to see others through his eyes.

I bring awareness to the words I use with others.

I honor myself by recognizing and living my purpose.

Feel free to try these or develop your own. With love and kindness, Michael

Life takes its toll on everyone. Mentally, physically, and spiritually we are taxed in our day-to-day activities. So what if you were offered a reprieve? Even a way to change your brain in it’s most basic functioning? A spiritual retreat may just be your answer. They have long since been used by many who give personal accounts of the benefits they offer, and now we have hard evidence for their therapeutic value.

Research from Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital show changes in both dopamine and serotonin functioning in participants who attended a Christian retreat, though they claim any spiritual based retreat will do. The participants spent their time in silent mediation, prayer, mass, and sessions with a spiritual guide. After which, they completed surveys indicating a complete change in their perceived well-being. What was stunning, however, is what the brain scans revealed. Andrew Newberg, M.D., a prominent figure in the field of neurotheology, saw changes in both the abundance of dopamine and serotonin in these participants after their retreat. Newberg noted that “Since serotonin and dopamine are part of the reward and emotional systems of the brain, it helps us understand why these practices result in powerful, positive emotional experiences”.

Understanding how spirituality can enhance your life will change you forever. Let our experts at SHAW Center for Healing foster your Spiritual Intelligence and join you on your journey to a spiritually rich life.

In Sanskrit, the word Diksa takes on several meanings. One of which is “receiving what you get”, but doesn’t one always have to receive in order to get something? Not always. Take in point a relationship between a teacher and its pupils. The teacher may offer years worth of insightful information, but the pupil may only receive a portion of said information. The pupil is not open to receive everything they are being given.

So what does this mean for me?So often in today’s society we focus on what we are not getting, rather than what’s already being offered to us. We hone our minds onto specific wants and if they don’t materialize, we feel unfulfilled. We feel these wants are warranted because who knows what we need more than ourselves. For instance, in times of struggle we may feel that financial support is what we need, but what if all that’s offered is love and support? Or in a relationship, we may feel our sexual needs aren’t being met and we are left with hugs and kisses? When we focus on what we are not getting, there is no room to receiving what’s being offered. This leads us down a road of resentment and discontentment.

How can we change?As with most things, a simple change is perception is all that is required of us. If we can make it a habit to see what’s being offered to us, instead of what we feel we need, we can surely find a life of happiness and wellbeing. Life will never give us all that we want, but it usually gives us exactly what we need. We just have to find a way to see that for ourselves.

How can the act of simply paying attention to our surroundings encourage us to become more compassionate and concerned for others?

As we face this question, we turn to Sylvia Boorstein, prominent psychotherapist and known follower of Buddhist teachings who is a big proponent of practicing mindfulness. Being mindful, or paying attention to the world around us can give great perspective on the human condition that we all face. It’s the fact that we all face it together that binds us. However, we often go out into this world completely oblivious to the struggles of others. Boorstein argues that it is the state of a truly awakened mind when we can notice and empathize with what we see happening in lives of others. When we take this time to see others, to truly see them, we quickly learn that we all experience anguish and suffering. It’s in this learning that we find compassion and concern for our fellows. All we needed was time to step back, pay attention and relate to those around us rather then fall into comparison.

Boorstein goes on to talk about her meditation rituals and how she utilizes that time to simply ground herself and slow an overstimulated mind, but that if she really wants to feel connected, she only need to look at the suffering happening all around her.

So how do we implement this newly found compassion and wisdom in the real world?

Take for instance the political space we find ourselves in. Boorstein not only acknowledges the distress one might feel from such an environment, but she also advises that we pay close attention to these feelings as they come up. When we experience negative emotions, we often get very tunnel visioned and as Boorstein puts it, a small growl can quickly become a very loud bark. If we instead catch ourselves at the jumping off point, we can more appropriately react to negative emotions rather then letting them consume us. Sometimes this practice of mindfulness requires us to pay close attention to our own thinking so that we can then react sanely and compassionately to people we engage with daily who might not share our own way of thinking.

Being mindful also allows for us to take into account the experiences others may have that attribute to their ideas and beliefs. These differing of views can cause disconnection amongst our peers, but when we can see the person as an accumulation of their unique experiences, much like we are, we can once again reconnect to them and find that place of compassion.

The alarm sounds, snooze, it sounds again, snooze, and in my morning slumber ... I begin my day with gratitude saying softly thank you Mother Earth, Father Sun, and Higher Self for waking me up sober and not hungover, thank you for another amazing day clean, thank for the love that surrounds me, thank you for the light that shines through me, thank you...

The alarm sounds again, snooze... Time to create the day: As a thinker, speaker, doer of the highest and best intentions, I AM a dynamic, enthusiastic participant in life. Divine ideas flow through me and through my thoughts, actions, and words. I AM honest, open-minded, and willing today. I AM courageous. I am a man of my word. I AM humble. I AM self-disciplined today. I AM beautiful from the inside-out. I AM a beacon of light. I AM surround by love. I AM at peace with myself and the world. I AM love. I AM amazing.

As I crawl out of bed, I prepare myself for another day of channeling the light and love of Universe by turning on some Bach, nourishing my body with breakfast, pressing my clothes, feeding the little kitties, allowing the water of the shower to awaken my cells and connect me to the all-that-is, dressing, and softly saying goodbye to my beautiful spouse.

When I arrive at the SHAW Center for Healing, the first thing that I notice when I open the door is the beautiful light that shines through the windows. Thank you Father Sun and Mother Earth for such an incredible sacred space, I say. Thank you for another day of love, healing, and transformation.

As I prepare the space energetically, I meditate with this beautiful affirmation from Paul Selig that sits on my desk:

As I lift my light to be seen by my fellows,As I lift my worth to be received by myself,I align myself to service so that so that my gifts may be realized,So that my gifts may be shared, so that my gifts may be seen,And I may accept myself in my divine plan:A manifestation of the Creator in form, here to sing my song for the benefit of all.I know who I am, I know what I am, I know how I serve.I am Word, I am Word, I am Word.